Ecuador criminal record certificate from the US: free and online

Ecuador’s criminal record certificate (certificado de antecedentes penales) is issued online by the Ministerio del Interior (Interior Ministry) on its certificate portal. It is requested over the internet with your cédula number; it is free and valid for 3 months (Interior Ministry page on gob.ec, updated October 31, 2025, checked October 3, 2026). The gob.ec page describes no consulate step. If you will submit it in the US, the apostille is a separate online request to the Foreign Ministry.

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Key facts

ItemDetail (checked October 3, 2026)
Issued byEcuador’s Interior Ministry (Ministerio del Interior)
WhereWeb portal: certificados.ministeriodelinterior.gob.ec/gestorcertificados/antecedentes/
RequirementCédula number (passport, for foreign nationals)
FeeNone (“El trámite no tiene costo”)
Availability“Disponible de forma permanente” (always available, because it is online)
Validity3 months
FormatPDF to view, print or save
Official contactantecedente.penal@interior.gob.ec
Legal basisExecutive Decree 1166

It is free: watch out for anyone charging

The gob.ec page says Ecuadorians access it with their cédula number “de forma gratuita vía internet” (free of charge online). A Ministry of Government notice titled “El Certificado de Antecedentes Penales no tiene costo” explains that the certificate is issued “únicamente” (only) by the Interior Ministry, “a través de su portal web de manera gratuita” (free through its website), under Executive Decree No. 1166 of May 4, 2012. The notice was published “frente a reportes de ciudadanos que han sido engañados por personas que cobran por el Certificado de Antecedentes Penales” (in response to reports of people being deceived by others charging for the certificate).

According to the notice, the same decree eliminated the old “Certificado de Antecedentes Policiales Personales” (police record certificate) and replaced it with the “Certificado de Antecedentes Penales.” If someone asks you for the document under the old name, the one the Interior Ministry now issues is the criminal record certificate.

Step by step

The gob.ec page describes this procedure for Ecuadorian and naturalized citizens:

  1. Open the Interior Ministry’s certificate portal. gob.ec also describes reaching it from ministeriodelinterior.gob.ec via “MENÚ” → “Programas / Servicios” → “Certificado de Antecedentes Penales.”
  2. Accept the Terms and Conditions for use of the certificate.
  3. Answer “SI” to the question “¿El Certificado es para un ciudadano Ecuatoriano?” (is the certificate for an Ecuadorian citizen?).
  4. Type your cédula number without a hyphen in the “Número de Documento” box and press “Siguiente” (Next).
  5. Check your names and surnames, shown under the cédula number.
  6. Enter the “Motivo de Consulta” (reason for the request), which must have at least 10 characters, and press “Siguiente.”
  7. Press “Visualizar Certificado” to verify, print or save it. gob.ec notes that you need software that opens PDF files.

Requirements

According to gob.ec, the only mandatory requirement is the cédula or passport number. The page does not ask for a payment, an appointment or immigration documents.

If something goes wrong

  • Name error: “Si existe una inconsistencia o error en sus nombres o apellidos debe acercarse a una dependencia del Registro Civil y solicitar una corrección de sus datos” (go to a Civil Registry office and request a correction).
  • If a record appears: “Si posee antecedentes penales, para realizar una actualización del mismo, debe acercarse a las oficinas de la Dirección Nacional de la Policía Judicial” (to update an existing record, go to the offices of the National Directorate of the Judicial Police). The gob.ec page does not say whether that step can be done from abroad. For your specific case, talk to a lawyer; see find pro bono legal help.
  • Portal questions: the contact gob.ec publishes is antecedente.penal@interior.gob.ec.

Foreign nationals

gob.ec describes a separate path for foreigners: answer “NO” to the nationality question, choose the document type and issuing country, and type the number. If the page shows “PERSONA NO ENCONTRADA” (person not found), gob.ec says the travel document number must be registered in Ecuador’s SIMIEC migration system, which requires registering a legal entry at Ecuador’s migration offices.

Using it in the US: apostille

The Interior Ministry’s criminal record certificate is on the list of documents that can be apostilled on the Foreign Ministry’s electronic apostille and legalization portal, serviciosdigitales.cancilleria.gob.ec (gob.ec apostille page, updated September 16, 2025):

  • Fee: US$30.00 per apostille (checked October 3, 2026). People 65 and older get 50% off; people with a disability of 30% or more, 100%.
  • Payment: online, by domestic or international credit or debit card.
  • Delivery: “tu apostilla y legalización te llega a tu correo electrónico” (it arrives by email).

Because the certificate is valid for 3 months according to gob.ec, its issue date matters when the receiving institution requires a recent document. See apostilling Ecuadorian documents.

Not the same as an FBI record check

The Ecuadorian certificate covers records in Ecuador. If a US procedure asks for your US criminal history, that is a different document requested from the FBI: see FBI background check.

Your US immigration status

The portal asks for your cédula number and a reason for the request. The gob.ec page does not ask for US immigration documents or a consulate visit.

Official sources

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. Ecuadorian government portals and requirements change. Verify directly with Ecuador’s Interior Ministry before submitting the certificate. Not legal advice.